Live 2 Give Hope serves as a resource center for foster, kinship, guardianship and adoptive families. The organization encompasses five in-house programs, including Paving the Way, a two-week summer program for older youth ages 15+ that provides much-needed education, resources, and life skills, including driver’s education, financial fundamentals, culinary skills, home management, career readiness and teen safety.
Students learn the classroom side of driving—understanding traffic laws, safety regulations and why safe driving matters. Those lessons are then taken onto the road, where students learn the most basic skills many of us take for granted, such as using the brake and gas pedals correctly. It may sound simple, but for many of these teens, no one has ever taught them these fundamentals.
Many teens who enter this program have never driven before, while others have only had very limited experience behind the wheel. The instructors and driving coaches take the time to get to know each student individually, learning how they learn best and tailoring their approach to meet each child's needs. Over the course of two weeks, they provide real-life, hands-on driving experiences that these young people will carry with them for years to come.
What makes this program so special is the heart behind it. The care, patience and love that the instructors pour into these students is truly remarkable. They provide one-on-one, skill-based instruction that meets each teen where they are and helps build not only driving skills, but also confidence and independence. For many of these children, that individualized attention is nothing short of life-changing.
Live 2 Give Hope steps up to ensure that vulnerable youth have access to opportunities that help prepare them for adulthood and success. The program’s focus on education, prevention and personal responsibility aligns perfectly with the Show-Me Zero mission of eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries on Missouri roadways. Paving the Way is more than a driver's education program—it is an investment in the future of children.